The 9U Arlington Rebels defeated the Herndon All Stars in back-to-back games to win Babe Ruth’s District 7 title and advance to the state tournament. In game 1, the Herndon Heat jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning and held Arlington scoreless for four innings. Game 1 was delayed 24 hours due to rain and when the game resumed, Arlington relied on the strong pitching of Andrew Simmons and Zack Allen to hold Herndon scoreless for the final five innings. Meanwhile, the Rebels scored six runs in the final two innings on key hits from Jacob Hardney, Tanner Wall, John Henry Skerl, and Zack Allen to defeat the Herndon All Stars 6-5.

In Game 2, the Arlington Rebels capitalized on hot bats to score 15 runs and again relied on great pitching and defense to protect their home field advantage at Barcroft Park.

The 9U Arlington Rebels next play in the nine-and-Under state tournament in Bealeton, Va. on July 10.

&lt;b&gt;NVSL Update&lt;/b&gt;

Here’s a recap of contributed reports detailing the 4th of July weekend for area NVSL swim teams.

The &lt;b&gt;Overlee&lt;/b&gt; Flying Fish started July 4th off with plenty of fireworks in the pool as they blasted past the visiting and previously undefeated Vienna Aquatic Club (VAC) Gators and claimed a 272-130 victory. Overlee improved its record to 3-0 and remains tied with Chesterbrook for the Division 1 lead. Overlee swimmers continued to pile up top-three finishes in the 38 individual events with 26 victories, 25 second-place finishes, and 22 third-place finishes. These included nine sweeps, six double winners, and 14 single event winners. Victories in nine of 12 relays, including a record-setting performance by the 11-12 boys, capped off the victory.